Author: Heather Topham Wood
Release Date: Apr 27/2012
Adquired: Ebook provided by author
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Book Depository
Two years ago, 21-year-old Kate Edwards became deathly ill and slipped into a coma. While unconscious, she crept into the mind of a missing boy and awoke with the knowledge of his location. Friends and family were skeptical and wary of her new ability to see into the minds of others. Their fears prompted Kate to keep her psychic powers a secret. Feeling alienated, she dropped out of college and spent most of her days holed up at her mother’s home.
Now another child has been abducted. Police detective Jared Corbett seeks out Kate for her help in solving the case. Reluctantly, Kate agrees and they must work together to bring 8-year-old Cori Preston home to her family. Although attracted to one another, Jared has a girlfriend with ties to the abduction case and Kate is sarcastic and guarded since her coma. With visions she can’t control and an uncontrollable attraction to the detective, she wonders if she can leave the past behind and finally stop hiding from the world. Otherwise, Cori may be lost forever.
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Before I started this book, I mistakenly made the mistake of judging it by it's story line. Coma, waking up psychic, falling for a cop with a girlfriend? Pshhht, sounded like a train wreck waiting to happen. Then came the part where I read the book, thoroughly ENJOYED the book, and reminded myself, yet again, to stop jumping to conclusions.
First Visions turned out to be a pretty damn good book. The writing was well paced, the timing and dialogue was well thought out, and the characters, especially the main lead, were people that I would definitely hang out with in real life. It began with a journal entry from Kate Edwards, the main female lead, in which she gives us her back story, and a feel for the psychic gift she possesses-her ability to have visions from past moments. I really appreciated that opening, I felt like it really set the stage for the content. It helped me get into a mind state of understanding for Kate, a camaraderie if you will.
We're also introduced to officer Jared Corbett almost immediately, as he stops by Kate's house to enlist the help of her "gift." Kate's attraction to Jared is immediate, the author indicates as much, but it wasn't written in way that made me sigh with annoyance. It was more of a "you're-hot-but working-my last-nerve-and-i'm-not-afraid-to-tell-you" sort of attraction, and I LOVED it. I absolutely fell for Katie too, from that very second, onward. Her brassiness, her NERVE! She was one of THE most witty and straight-forward female leads I have EVER read, I don't think I ever wanted her to stop talking.
Upon her best friend Julie asking if Jared is good looking, Katie answers:
"'He's passable if you go for the annoying boy next door look.' she responded."
"'You do realize I can hear you?'" Jared inquired."
I loved her snark. It made for some seriously great laugh-out-loud, did-she-really-just-say-that moments. It was so refreshing to read a female character that had no filter whatsoever between her mind and her mouth-and in the most non-cliched way. I want to quote a million bits of her dialogue! Can I!? Okay I wont.. =(
The storyline in First Visions plays out as Katie receives visions from Cori Preston, who had been recently kidnapped from her home. Katie sees through the eyes of the little girl, and relays what she sees to the authorities, and/or, Jared-who happens to be the boyfriend of the kidnapped girl's older sister. I thought that extra bit of conflict was excellent, and the obstacles it threw in everyone's way was handled in a believable and interesting way. It would have been easy to allow the plot to lean more towards the romantic aspect between Katie and Jared, but I think the author kept the right balance between romance and thriller/suspense. However, I really hope to experience more of a nail biting, edge-of-my-seat rush in the next few books of the series.
Fans of mysteries, romance and contemporary will really enjoy what this book had to offer. A great debut from Heather Topham Wood, I can't wait to read her other work!
First Visions turned out to be a pretty damn good book. The writing was well paced, the timing and dialogue was well thought out, and the characters, especially the main lead, were people that I would definitely hang out with in real life. It began with a journal entry from Kate Edwards, the main female lead, in which she gives us her back story, and a feel for the psychic gift she possesses-her ability to have visions from past moments. I really appreciated that opening, I felt like it really set the stage for the content. It helped me get into a mind state of understanding for Kate, a camaraderie if you will.
We're also introduced to officer Jared Corbett almost immediately, as he stops by Kate's house to enlist the help of her "gift." Kate's attraction to Jared is immediate, the author indicates as much, but it wasn't written in way that made me sigh with annoyance. It was more of a "you're-hot-but working-my last-nerve-and-i'm-not-afraid-to-tell-you" sort of attraction, and I LOVED it. I absolutely fell for Katie too, from that very second, onward. Her brassiness, her NERVE! She was one of THE most witty and straight-forward female leads I have EVER read, I don't think I ever wanted her to stop talking.
Upon her best friend Julie asking if Jared is good looking, Katie answers:
"'He's passable if you go for the annoying boy next door look.' she responded."
"'You do realize I can hear you?'" Jared inquired."
I loved her snark. It made for some seriously great laugh-out-loud, did-she-really-just-say-that moments. It was so refreshing to read a female character that had no filter whatsoever between her mind and her mouth-and in the most non-cliched way. I want to quote a million bits of her dialogue! Can I!? Okay I wont.. =(
The storyline in First Visions plays out as Katie receives visions from Cori Preston, who had been recently kidnapped from her home. Katie sees through the eyes of the little girl, and relays what she sees to the authorities, and/or, Jared-who happens to be the boyfriend of the kidnapped girl's older sister. I thought that extra bit of conflict was excellent, and the obstacles it threw in everyone's way was handled in a believable and interesting way. It would have been easy to allow the plot to lean more towards the romantic aspect between Katie and Jared, but I think the author kept the right balance between romance and thriller/suspense. However, I really hope to experience more of a nail biting, edge-of-my-seat rush in the next few books of the series.
Fans of mysteries, romance and contemporary will really enjoy what this book had to offer. A great debut from Heather Topham Wood, I can't wait to read her other work!
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Heather Topham Wood’s obsession with novels began in childhood while growing up in a shore town in New Jersey. Writing since her teens, she recently returned to penning novels after a successful career as a freelance writer. In 2012, she published the first two novels in her Second Sight series: First Visions and New Revelations.
Heather graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor's degree in English. Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons. Besides writing, Heather is a pop culture fanatic and has an obsession with supernatural novels and TV shows.
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Your review is hysterical, I loved reading it! Thank you so much for taking the time to review First Visions =)
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